Jobless rate at 7.7% as seekers drop out

DAMIAN DOVARGANES
Credit: AP
A clothing boutique advertises for workers Friday in Los Angeles. Since July, the economy has added an average of 158,000 jobs a month.

The nation’s unemployment rate fell to a four-year low of 7.7 percent in November as employers added an unexpectedly large but still moderate 146,000 jobs over the month despite the disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy.